University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware
UMBC
Retrievers get Revenge as No. 25 Delaware Falls to UMBC 1-0
9/30/2014 10:13:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Tuesday night's game was physical from the opening whistle and neither team was able to tally a goal in the first half.
The intense play continued in the second half, but UMBC (4-4-2) was able to break through at the 80:13 mark as Joseph Pratt notched his first goal of the season to give UMBC a 1-0 lead.
With less than 10 minutes remaining, UD (7-3) tried to mount a rally, but the Retrievers' suffocating defense did not concede any opportunities and preserved the 1-0 victory
Ian HennessyThe Blue Hens were bottled up most of the night and only saw a few quality offensive chances.
Kyle Nuel saw a shot go just wide of the goal in the closing seconds of the first period and Thibault Philippe had a shot that looked destined for the back of the net before UMBC goalkeeper Billy Heavner made a spectacular sprawling save to preserve the shutout.
The loss to UMBC marks to first UD home loss of the season and first time it has lost a home game since last year's NCAA Tournament defeat to St. John's.
Tuesday night's loss also marked the first time the Blue Hens have been shutout since falling to Northeastern 2-0 last season and the first time they have been blanked at home since a 0-0 tie to Old Dominion in 2012.
After a 6-0 start that matched the best start in program history, UD has now lost three of four games for the first time since the end of the 2012 season.
“We did not match our opponents energy tonight,” said Nuel. “This was a tough loss, but we have conference play starting up this weekend and CAA season is like a brand new season. We played pretty well in the non-conference and now is when we have to really focus in.”
UD's game against UMBC marked the end of non-conference play as the Blue Hens will begin Colonial Athletic Association action this Saturday as they travel to UNCW. The game is set for 7:00 p.m.
